Contractor settles with EPA over lead paint

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a settlement Monday with GB Group, a Gilroy-based construction and painting contractor, after the firm allegedly failed to protect the public from being exposed to lead.

GB Group is accused of not providing the EPA's “Renovate Right” pamphlet on lead hazard information to homeowners and occupants during renovation work at residential properties in Oakland and San Francisco, failing to assign a certified renovator to each renovation, not following lead-safe practices and failing to create and maintain records. The firm will pay $137,804 in civil penalties.

“Renovating older homes can expose residents and workers to hazardous leadbased paint and dust,” EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman said in a statement. “Lead exposure has been a longstanding obstacle to advancing environmental justice, as many people of color and low-income residents live in communities that are overburdened by lead-based paint.”

Representatives of the GB Group couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Being exposed to lead during childhood can result in slowed growth, hearing, behavioral and learning problems and diminished IQ. The federal government banned the use of lead-based paint in residential buildings in 1978, but it's still present in older homes, under new paint.

The EPA said it created the Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule to protect people from lead-paint hazards during remodeling and repair in homes. People performing renovations at residences are required to be trained, certified and “follow lead-safe work practices,” according to the agency.